Dark Corners
A stand-alone novel published posthumously by Hutchinson in 2015
I had come across a quote about half-way through the novel in which Carl sees Dermot looking like ‘the duke of dark corners’, a quote from one of Shakespeare’s most disturbing psychological plays, Measure for Measure. Immediately I knew we had our title, and fancied that this might have been Ruth’s intention all along.
When Carl sells a box of slimming pills to his close friend Stacey, inadvertently causing her death, he sets in train a sequence of catastrophic events which begin with subterfuge, extend to lies, and culminate in murder.
Notes
Ruth was unique. No one can equal her range or her accomplishment; no one has earned more respect from her fellow practitioners.
—Val McDermid 2She was a writer whose power stemmed from the imagination, then, and yet in one sense her books read like documentary realism.
—Jake Kerridge 3I have met many great people in my career, but Ruth stands out as a beacon for demanding things were done well and understanding that it’s a team effort that delivers … though of course she was the star player.
—Graham Benson 4She stood by me, and later, as I grew up and she grew older, I realised I was standing by her.
—Jeanette Winterson 5Her books were realistically contemporary and there was room within them for rigorous and explicit social commentary. The puzzle element of the whodunnit was never quite enough for Rendell.
—Ian Rankin 6Not many people realise the important political and parliamentary contribution Ruth made. She was instrumental in getting the first piece of legislation passed that outlawed female genital mutilation in the UK.
—Valerie Amos 7Patricia Hodge reads Dark Corners for BBC Book at Bedtime.
Ruth Rendell’s ashes interred in Suffolk.
Footnotes
The story behind the publication of Ruth Rendell’s final novel. Penguin 2017. ↩︎
No one can equal Ruth Rendell’s range or accomplishment. The Guardian, 02 May 2015. ↩︎
Ruth Rendell: The most astonishing imagination in British crime fiction. The Telegraph 02 May 2015. ↩︎
Ruth Rendell was very comfortable when her books were adapted for ITV. The Guardian, 06 May 2015. ↩︎
Ruth Rendell: memories of a friend who stood by me. The Guardian, 08 May 2015. ↩︎
An expert witness of the human condition. The New Statesman, 16 October 2015. ↩︎
Ruth Rendell remembered by Valerie Amos. The Guardian, 27 Dec 2015. ↩︎